The Seattle Seahawks were still in command of their postseason chances on Sunday. After their 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, those chances have dimmed significantly. They're not completely out of the picture, but the losing plays certainly didn't help.
The Seahawks got off to a slow start again, just as they have in the past three games. Unlike the Jets and Cardinals games, the Hawks never recovered against the Packers last week. Minnesota easily cruised into the end zone on their opening drive. It looked for all the world as if we were in store for another shellacking from the NFC North.
I can't say we can be happy about the result as the Hawks still lost. But least they got back into the game in this one. And for a short, tantalizing time, it looked as if despite several huge mistakes, the gentlemen in College Navy had pulled off an improable comeback win. Sadly, that was not the case. Still, we had a couple of winners to celebrate, along with one very big loser.
The Seattle Seahawks had several losing plays, but truly only one loser
Before we get to that condemnation - and I don't think that's too harsh a term - I have to mention the two biggest winners we saw for the Seahawks tonight. Before I get to them, I'll give the 12s a shout out here. After being shown up by the Bills Mafia and the Cheeseheads in two embarrassing outings, the 12s were much louder in the home finale. So nice job, fellow 12s!
You deserved a better outcome than what we got on the field. It wasn't a lack of effort that lost the game for the Seahawks. At least we can always say that much for this team. A lack of discipline, well, that's a very strong possibility. We'll get to that in a bit. But first, let me highlight a couple of players who truly stood out in this game.
Winner: Jarran Reed
Defensive tackle Jarran Reed has been a steady force throughout the 2024 season for Seattle. It was very gratifying to see him have such a big game yesterday. As John Boyle wrote for seahawks.com, Reed was an absolute force for the Hawks. He tipped a pass on third and seven at the Seattle 30 which forced a Minnesota field goal midway through the third quarter. That kept the Hawks within a field goal of the Vikes.
Reed had a sack, a pair of quarterback hits on Sam Darnold, and forced a fumble as well. He hasn't quite been the force that Leonard Williams has been - I mean, seriously, who has - but he's clearly been the second-most consistent performer on the Seahawks defensive line all season. Sunday, he was their best.
Winner: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
No one can doubt Jaxon Smith-Njigba's value to the Seahawks this year. Sunday's game was the eighth straight contest in which JSN led the team in receiving yards. His eight catches for 95 yards easily put him over 1,000 receiving yards for the season. Now at 93 receptions, he's almost certainly going to break 100 catches for the year. DK Metcalf's career-high is 90 catches, while Tyler Lockett has only reached that number once, at exactly 100.
Our own Luke Allen predicted a big jump for Smith-Njigba this season. Even though he predicted a massive jump in production, JSN has flown past those numbers. The second-year pro is now the Seahawks top receiver by any true measure. Yes, DK Metcalf picks up more yards per catch. At 3.0 yards more per reception, it's not a small difference, either. But as I'll explain in a moment, there's a very good reason I believe that JSN has supplanted "The Avatar" as the Hawks top dog in the receiver room.
Loser: Mike Macdonald
I know that Metcalf's production has dropped because he's double-teamed so often. But even considering that, Smith-Njigba is far more reliable than Seattle's ostensible top receiver. Sunday's game was another example of that. It also showed what has often appeared to be a flaw in his game - his game, and Geno Smith's.
Leading up to the Seahawks Week 12 contest with the Cardinals, I wrote that one problem the Hawks had to fix was getting Smith and his receivers on the same page. That certainly hasn't happened. Both of Smith's interceptions in this game were on throws to Metcalf. On the first, it appeared that DK was supposed to run an out, but instead drifted in. Geno threw to the spot, but a purple helmet was there instead of Metcalf.
The second pick looked like more of the same, Metcalf drifted outside, instead of making a sharp cut. And again the ball dropped into the hands of a Minnesota defender. This time it didn't just kill a drive; it may have killed the Seahawks 2024 season. Smith made more mistakes than those two, to be sure. But you can't pin the loss on Smith alone, as Bob Condotta wrote in his grades for the game.
You know who you can pin it on? The coaching staff. And that means head coach Mike Macdonald. I absolutely believe he'll be a great head coach, and that he's well on his way. Before you storm the castle with sharpened pitchforks and blazing torches, don't forget that Pete Carroll went 7-9 in each of his first two seasons. But this loss rests on Macdonald's shoulders.
How can a team be so undisciplined in Week 16 that they commit three false starts at home? How does a cornerback line up offsides? How did Seattle commit 11 penalties in all in this game? Why are Smith and his receivers still not connecting on their routes? After picking up good yardage per carry for the past two weeks, why did their running backs only get 12 carries?
The answer to each of those questions lies with the head coach. Mike Macdonald has to do a better job of getting the team ready for every game. As Matt Calkins wrote in his analysis - or autopsy - of the game, the Hawks got in their own way, just as they have for much of the season. It's a team sport, yes, but ultimately just one person is responsible for this loss.